Beaked Panicgrass (Anceps)

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Beaked Panicgrass (Anceps)

The
Beaked Panicgrass (Anceps) is generally described as
a perennial graminoid.
This
is
native to the U.S. (United States)
.

Uses of : Landscaping, Medicinal, Culinary, etc.

Livestock: Cattle and horses readily graze beaked panicgrass from early spring to late fall. Grazing should be deferred through the summer because it will improve plant vigor and density. Overgrazing will reduce the amount of this plant and allow lesser value plants to invade. If cattle and horses graze

Beaked panicgrass in the winter, then protein and energy supplements are necessary.

Wildlife: Deer graze on beaked panicgrass. The seeds are eaten by most upland birds and by some waterfowl.

Erosion: Beaked panicgrass is used for the revegetation of surfaces such as mined land, logging sites, timber roads, and other disturbed areas.

Conservation Practices: Beaked panicgrass, because of its growth habit, potentially has application when established with certain conservation practices; however, conservation practice standards vary by state. For localized information, consult your local NRCS Field Office.

General Characteristics

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Beaked panicgrass is a native, rhizomatous perennial. The culms are glabrous, erect and up to 4 feet tall. The blades are elongated, flat, glabrous to pubescent, and range in widths of ¼ to ½ inch wide. The ligules are membranous, irregular shaped and about 116 inch long. The inflorescences are open panicles, 6 to 15 inches long, ascending and usually bearing appressed, short branchlets. Spikelets are unequally positioned on the pedicle and range in lengths of [! to ¼ inch wide. The first glume is 1/4 to ½ the length of the spikelets. It is sharply angled, 3 to 5 nerved, and encompasses nearly the entire base of the spikelet. The second glume is as long as the spikelet and with 5 to 7 nerves. The second glume is curved like a bird’s beak. The thin, dry sterile palea is [! inch long. The fertile palea and lemma are angled, straw-colored, slightly pubescent with stiff hairs at the apexes and is up to [! inch long. The caryopsis is oval-shaped and purple in color.

Required Growing Conditions

Beaked panicgrass can tolerate a wide range of habitats, from well-drained sandy soil to waterlogged sites. It is native to Louisiana and is found from New Jersey to Kansas, south to Florida and over to Texas. For current distribution, consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Cultivation and Care

Adaptation: Beaked panicgrass grows on moist to wet soils along margins of fresh marshes, swamps, and bottomlands that overflow occasionally. It grows best under 30 to 35 percent shade.

Beaked panicgrass reproduces by seeds, tillers, and rhizomes. It flowers only once a year in the fall and produces an abundant amount of seed. However, not much research has been done on germination. Beaked panicgrass is most commonly established by rhizomes, which will form pure stands of large clumps.

The seeds should be planted in the fall or early winter. The rhizomes could be planted from December to April; however, if planting after April, then plenty of water should be provided.

Plants should be placed at 3 foot-centers. Growth begins in February and beaked panicgrass remains green all year round.

It is not recommended to mix beaked panicgrass seeds with cool season grass seeds. In parts of the United States where cool season grasses dominate, the warm season grasses can be taken over because they develop slower than the cool season grasses. It is also recommended that seed not be moved more than 300 miles north, 100 miles east or west, or 200 miles south of its point of origin.

General Upkeep and Control

Beaked panicgrass maintains its production and contributes only small quantities of forage. However check with the local extension service for recommended herbicides if it becomes weedy. Beaked panicgrass has no known pests or problems.